Diagnostic Description
provided by FAO species catalogs
Body extremely elongated and compressed posteriorly. Fine cycloid scales on body and posterior part of head. Lateral line parallel and closer to dorsal profile. Head depressed and rather large. Snout blunt, slightly longer than fleshy orbit diameter. Eye small, 8.2 to 8.7 times in head; fleshy orbit 5 to 7 times in head. Mouth evenly curved and large, reaching to posterior margin of eye; upper jaw slightly anterior to lower jaw; strong uniserial conical teeth distally placed on both jaws, anterior teeth longer than posterior ones on lower jaw; villiform inner tooth bands on both jaws; several strong conical teeth sparcely set on vomer and uniserial on palatines. Interorbital region flat and wide, its width nearly as wide as fleshy orbit diameter. Gillrakers short with minute serrations; pseudobranchiae present. A strong opercular spine half embedded in skin. Nostrils well separated from each other; anterior nostril small, round, without a flap. Dorsal fin, with 115 to 155 soft rays, originating above middle of pectoral fin. Anal fin, with 90 to 117 soft rays, originating slightly anterior to midbody. Pectoral fin, with 19-24 rays, round and rather short (2.1-2.3 times in head). Pelvic fin jugular with 2 elongate thread-like rays, larger ray about as long as lower jaw length. Colour pinkish yellow, marbled with irregular reddish brown blotches dorsally.
- Ayling, T. & G. J. Cox. - 1982Collins Guide to the Sea Fishes of New Zealand. William Collins Publish. Ltd., Auckland, Sydney, London: 343 pp.
- Lloris, D. & J. Rucabado. - 1991 Ictiofauna del Canal Beagle (Tierra del Fuego), Aspectos ecológicos y análisis biogeográfico. Publ. Espec. Inst. Esp. Oceanogr. nº. 8: 1-182.
- Nakamura, I. - 1986 Ophidiidae. In: I. Nakamura; T. Inada; M. Takeda; H. Hatanaka (eds.). Important Fishes trawled off Patagonia. Japan mar. Fish. Resource Res. Center: 144-145.
Distribution
provided by FAO species catalogs
South America, both Chilean and Argentine Patagonia; also known from New Zealand and Australia.
Size
provided by FAO species catalogs
Maximum to about 200 cm and 25 kg; common to 50 to 120 cm.
Brief Summary
provided by FAO species catalogs
Occurs mainly on the bottoms of sand or muddybetween 10 to 700 m but are most abundant from 200 m on down.Feeds predominantly on crustaceans, fishes and cephalopods. These fishes are late winter and early spring spawners and successful individuals appear to live at least 25 years. Large specimens are usually confined to deeper water.
Benefits
provided by FAO species catalogs
A good food fish. Caught (usually) with bottom trawl in considerable quantities, mainly on long-lines in deep water. The total catch reported for this species to FAO for 1999 was 53 237 t. The countries with the largest catches were Argentina (21 503 t) and New Zealand (21 424 t). Marketed fresh and frozen; can fried and baked.
